North Dakota Crime Grades: A-F Safety Ratings for 23 Cities (2024)

Statewide grade B

23 cities graded A+ through F based on 2024 FBI crime data. State overall score: 60/100 (Above Average).

What is North Dakota’s crime safety grade?

North Dakota earned an overall safety grade of B (score: 60/100, Above Average) based on 2024 FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program data, with a statewide violent crime rate of 256.7 per 100,000 and property crime rate of 1705.7 per 100,000. PlainCrime graded 23 North Dakota cities with reportable crime data against national benchmarks, producing an A+ through F score for each jurisdiction. Grades weigh violent and property crime rates: cities more than 50% below the national average typically earn A or A+, while cities significantly above average receive D or F ratings.

Across the 23 graded North Dakota cities, 3 earned A+, 10 earned A, 1 received B, 7 landed at C, 1 received D, and 1 fell to F in the 2024 scoring. The highest-rated city is Carrington with a A+ grade (score: 93/100, violent rate 50.3/100K). The lowest-rated city is Fargo with a F grade (score: 20/100, violent rate 498.2/100K).

Roughly 57% of graded cities in North Dakota achieved an A or A+ rating, while 9% received a D or F. Cities missing from this table either did not submit complete 2024 UCR data, fell below the minimum population threshold for reliable rate calculation, or report through consolidated agencies that aggregate into county or regional totals instead of individual city figures. Grade boundaries use the national violent and property crime rate averages for 2024 as the reference point, so grades are directly comparable between North Dakota and other states on the site.

A safety grade condenses several FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) measures into a single letter, ranking each state's violent and property crime rates against the national distribution rather than a fixed cutoff. A high grade therefore means a state compares well to its peers in a given year, not that it is free of crime. Grades move as the underlying rates move and as agency reporting completeness shifts from year to year. Two states with the same letter can have very different profiles: one may carry a higher violent-crime rate offset by low property crime, the other the reverse. Use the grade as a quick orientation, then read the component rates beneath it to see what is actually driving the number for this state.

A+

3 cities

10 cities

1 cities

7 cities

1 cities

Carrington

50.3
Steele

0
Grafton

49.7
Lincoln

67
Wishek

119.5
Bowman

71.7
Beulah

99.1
Lisbon

92.4

What this shows Carrington reports the lowest violent-crime rate in North Dakota. At 50.3 per 100K, it runs well below the North Dakota average of 256.7. These eight cities anchor the safe end of the state.

#	Grade	City	Score	Violent Rate	Property Rate	Population
1	A+	Carrington	93	50.3/100K	201.3/100K	1,987
2	A+	Steele	91	0/100K	1080.2/100K	648
3	A+	Grafton	90	49.7/100K	596/100K	4,027
4	A	Lincoln	89	67/100K	446.5/100K	4,479
5	A	Wishek	88	119.5/100K	0/100K	837
6	A	Bowman	87	71.7/100K	645.6/100K	1,394
7	A	Beulah	86	99.1/100K	528.6/100K	3,027
8	A	Lisbon	83	92.4/100K	878/100K	2,164
9	A	Jamestown	79	102.2/100K	1239.5/100K	15,651
10	A	Tioga	79	145.6/100K	776.7/100K	2,060
11	A	Rolla	78	87.1/100K	1567.9/100K	1,148
12	A	Valley City	76	152.9/100K	947.9/100K	6,541
13	A	West Fargo	75	163.8/100K	1014.3/100K	40,915
14	B	Stanley	69	187.5/100K	1406.5/100K	2,133
15	C	Wahpeton	57	237.6/100K	2188.9/100K	7,995
16	C	Dickinson	56	297.1/100K	1706.1/100K	24,910
17	C	Watford City	56	302.6/100K	1613.7/100K	5,949
18	C	Minot	56	318.9/100K	1403/100K	47,041
19	C	Bismarck	51	278/100K	2399.9/100K	75,546
20	C	Mandan	49	287.3/100K	2581.8/100K	24,711
21	C	Grand Forks	44	358.6/100K	2282.2/100K	58,848
22	D	Williston	36	437.3/100K	2315.2/100K	27,211
23	F	Fargo	20	498.2/100K	3696.9/100K	135,682

Frequently Asked Questions

What is North Dakota's overall crime safety grade?

North Dakota has an overall safety grade of B (score: 60/100). This is based on the state's aggregate violent crime rate of 256.7 per 100K and property crime rate of 1705.7 per 100K compared to national averages.

How many cities in North Dakota have an A+ safety grade?

3 cities in North Dakota earned an A+ safety grade (2024), meaning their crime rates are well below the national average. 10 additional cities earned an A grade.

Which is the safest city in North Dakota?

Carrington is the highest-rated city in North Dakota with a A+ grade (score: 93/100). Its violent crime rate is 50.3 per 100K.

Nearby States, Crime Grades

Compare North Dakota's grade distribution with neighboring states, or use the compare tool to benchmark jurisdictions side-by-side.

Explore More

North Dakota Crime Overview → Safest Cities in North Dakota → All State Grades →

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Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, 2024. Safety scores based on violent and property crime rates vs. national averages published in FBI Crime in the United States (CIUS) Table 8. Population figures reference U.S. Census Bureau estimates where FBI-reported populations are unavailable. Verify with FBI.gov UCR and Census.gov QuickFacts.

Read our methodology , how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Every figure on PlainCrime is rendered directly from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FBI Uniform Crime Reporting source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.